Water Alarm

Introduction

A water alarm is an electronic device that sounds an alarm when its liquid sensor comes in contact with water. These devices are very useful in homes (especially basements) to protect against water damage and/or mold growth from leaky water pipes, broken plumbing fixtures, a backed-up sewer, or runoff from a heavy thunderstorm. In this activity, you will build a water alarm using a small piece of copper printed circuit (PC) board with a Vernier Analog Breadboard Cable to detect the presence of water, and a Vernier Digital Control Unit (DCU) to activate an alarm.

Design Objectives

• Build a sensor to detect water
• Use a Vernier Analog Breadboard Cable to connect the water sensor to the lab interface
• Configure Logger Pro to detect a voltage change in the water sensor circuit and trigger a Vernier DCU
• Use a Vernier DCU to activate a buzzer